Systems and methods of determining image scaling

ABSTRACT

An example system includes two objects each having a known dimension and positioned spaced apart by a known distance, and a fixture having an opening for receiving an imaging device and for holding the two objects in a field of view of the imaging device such that the field of view of the imaging device originates from a point normal to a surface of the base. The fixture holds the imaging device at a fixed distance from an object being imaged and controls an amount of incident light on the imaging device. An example method of determining image scaling includes holding an imaging device at a fixed distance from an object being imaged, and positioning the two objects in the field of view of the imaging device such that the field of view of the imaging device originates from a point normal to a line formed by the known distance.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to fixtures for holding animaging device, and systems and methods for determining image scaling,for example.

BACKGROUND

Many aircraft or other vehicle components are increasingly beingfabricated from composite materials. At least some structures fabricatedfrom composite materials may undergo nondestructive evaluation and/orinspection prior to installation and/or use to ensure thatirregularities, such as wrinkles, have not formed during fabricationthat may affect and/or alter a mechanical property of the compositematerial.

On aircraft, for example, there is a need for detection and/ormeasurement of wrinkles along cut edges of at least some componentsmanufactured from composite materials. A “wrinkle,” as the term is usedherein, refers generally to an irregularity such as a ply distortion ina composite material. In one example, to measure wrinkles along the cutedges of components, the edge of a cut part is highly polished andplaced on a flatbed scanner to capture cross-sectional images of the cutpart for analysis. In another method, such images are captured using ahand held portable ultra-violet (UV) microscope. The latter method istime intensive and prone to variability (e.g., in scale, incidentlighting, etc.) between scan locations and inspectors. The images aregenerally manually scaled and light-corrected before algorithms can beused for analysis on the images.

What is needed is a system that enables images to be captured in mannerthat is repeatable and has less variability in results.

SUMMARY

In an example, a fixture is described comprising a hollow elongatesection having a first end and a second end, and the first end has anopening for receiving a lens portion of an imaging device and the secondend is structurally configured to brace against a surface of an objectbeing imaged. The hollow elongate section is configured to hold the lensportion of the imaging device at a fixed distance from an object beingimaged as well as to control an amount of incident light on the lensportion of the imaging device.

In another example, a system is described comprising an imaging device,a calibration object, and a fixture having an opening for receiving alens portion of the imaging device and for holding the calibrationobject in a field of view of the imaging device. The fixture holds theimaging device at a fixed distance from an object being imaged as wellas controls an amount of incident light on the imaging device.

In another example, a method of configuring an imaging device forcapturing images of an object is described comprising holding, via afixture, a lens portion of an imaging device at a fixed distance from anobject being imaged, controlling an amount of incident light on the lensportion of the imaging device by use of the fixture, and holding, viathe fixture, a calibration object in a field of view of the imagingdevice.

In another example, a system is described comprising two objects eachhaving a known dimension and positioned on a base spaced apart by aknown distance, and a fixture having an opening for receiving a lensportion of an imaging device and for holding the two objects in a fieldof view of the imaging device such that the field of view of the imagingdevice originates from a point normal to a surface of the base. Thefixture holds the imaging device at a fixed distance from an objectbeing imaged as well as controls an amount of incident light on theimaging device.

In another example, a method of configuring an imaging device forcapturing images of an object is described comprising holding an imagingdevice at a fixed distance, by a fixture, from an object being imaged,holding two objects in a field of view of the imaging device, and thetwo objects each have a known dimension and are positioned to be spacedapart by a known distance, and positioning the two objects in the fieldof view of the imaging device such that the field of view of the imagingdevice originates from a point normal to a line formed by the knowndistance between the two objects.

In another example, a method of determining physical measurements ofwrinkles in a composite component is described comprising positioning alens portion of an imaging device into a first end of a fixture, and thefixture controls an amount of incident light on the imaging device andholds a calibration object in a field of view of the imaging device. Themethod also comprises placing the imaging device at a fixed distancefrom a cross-section of a composite component being imaged, and thefixture includes a flat distal portion for abutting an edge of theobject to be imaged and the fixed distance is based on a length of theflat distal portion. The method also comprises causing the imagingdevice to capture an image of the cross-section of the compositecomponent with the calibration object in the image, determining an imagescaling factor that associates a number of pixels in the image to aphysical distance based on a known dimension of the calibration object,and determining physical measurements of wrinkles in the compositecomponent using the image scaling factor.

In another example, a system is described comprising a base, two objectseach having a known dimension and positioned on the base spaced apart bya known distance, an imaging device positioned such that the two objectsare in a field of view of the imaging device and such that the field ofview of the imaging device originates from a point normal to a surfaceof the base, and a computing device having one or more processors andnon-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, that whenexecuted by the one or more processors, causes the computing device toperform functions. The functions include receiving an image from theimaging device capturing the two objects in the field of view, and basedon one or more of the known dimension of the two objects and the knowndistance between the two objects, determining an image scaling factorthat associates a number of pixels in the image to a physical distance.

In another example, a method of determining image scaling is describedcomprising capturing an image by an imaging device that includes twoobjects in a field of view of the imaging device, and the two objectseach have a known dimension and are positioned on a base spaced apart bya known distance, and based on the known dimension of the two objectsand the known distance between the two objects, determining an imagescaling factor that associates a number of pixels in the image to aphysical distance.

In another example, a non-transitory computer readable medium storinginstructions, that when executed by a computing device having one ormore processors causes the computing device to perform functions isdescribed. The functions comprise capturing an image by an imagingdevice that includes two objects in a field of view of the imagingdevice, and the two objects each have a known dimension and arepositioned on a base spaced apart by a known distance, and based on theknown dimension of the two objects and the known distance between thetwo objects, determining an image scaling factor that associates anumber of pixels in the image to a physical distance.

The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can beachieved independently in various examples or may be combined in yetother examples. Further details of the examples can be seen withreference to the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The novel features believed characteristic of the illustrative examplesare set forth in the appended claims. The illustrative examples,however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives anddescriptions thereof, will best be understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description of an illustrative example of the presentdisclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a bottom view of a fixture, according to an exampleimplementation.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the fixture, according to anexample implementation.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the fixture, according to an exampleimplementation.

FIG. 4 illustrates a magnified view of a portion of the fixture,according to an example implementation.

FIG. 5 illustrates a back view of the fixture, according to an exampleimplementation.

FIG. 6A illustrates an example of a base including two calibrationobjects, according to an example implementation.

FIG. 6B illustrates an additional example of the base with a differentconfiguration of calibration objects, according to an exampleimplementation.

FIG. 6C illustrates an additional example of the base with dimensions ofthe configuration of calibration objects, according to an exampleimplementation.

FIG. 7 illustrates a bottom view of the fixture with the base, accordingto an example implementation.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the fixture with the base,according to an example implementation.

FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of the fixture with the base, accordingto an example implementation.

FIG. 10 illustrates a magnified view of a portion of the fixture withthe base, according to an example implementation.

FIG. 11 illustrates a back view of the fixture with the base, accordingto an example implementation.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a system, according to an exampleimplementation.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of the system being used to captureimages of an object, according to an example implementation.

FIG. 14 illustrates side view of the system being used to capture imagesof the object, according to an example implementation.

FIG. 15 illustrates a top view of the system being used to captureimages of the object, according to an example implementation.

FIG. 16 shows a flowchart of an example of a method of configuring theimaging device for capturing images of the object, according to anexample implementation.

FIG. 17 shows a flowchart of an example of another method of configuringthe imaging device for capturing images of the object, according to anexample implementation.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example of a system including a configuration ofthe imaging device with respect to the two objects, according to anexample implementation.

FIG. 19 shows a flowchart of an example of a method of determining imagescaling, according to an example implementation.

FIG. 20 illustrates an example of an image captured by the imagingdevice, according to an example implementation.

FIG. 21 shows a flowchart of an example of a method of determiningphysical measurements of wrinkles in a composite component, according toan example implementation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed examples will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all ofthe disclosed examples are shown. Indeed, several different examples maybe described and should not be construed as limited to the examples setforth herein. Rather, these examples are described so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scopeof the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

Within examples, automated systems and methods are described forperforming image scaling. In an example, an object is placed in a fieldof view of a camera or microscope to allow for calculation of thephysical scaling of the captured image.

Image scaling is useful in many instances. An example includesverification of manufactured components. One verification methodincludes measurements of wrinkles in composite parts. Performing wrinklemeasurements typically requires cut-edges of parts to be highly polishedfor physical scanning on large machines, such as to capture across-sectional image to allow analysis of the individual plies in thatsection of the composite part, or manual measurements and/or imaging arerequired. However, manual processes can be subject to variability andare time consuming.

Using examples described herein, a fixture holds an imaging device(e.g., camera or microscope) to shield the imaging device from incidentlight and provide constant distance to the object being imaged, whichreduces both the time and variability of the measurements. Furthermore,calibration objects are included with the holder to enable calculationof an image scaling factor so as to generate the physical measurementsfrom the images. For example, to make physical measurements from animage, the physical spacing for each pixel in the image is needed. Theexamples described herein solves a problem of providing a physicalartifact to be placed in the field of view of the camera that will becaptured in the image and can be analyzed to determine the scaling.

The example systems and methods reduce an amount of time required toperform measurements and also improve a quality of the measurements dueto less variability. The fixture thus enables reliable and repeatabledata for image scaling to be calculated.

Referring now to the figures, FIGS. 1-5 illustrate an example of afixture 100, according to an example implementation. FIG. 1 illustratesa bottom view of the fixture 100, FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective viewof the fixture 100, FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the fixture 100,FIG. 4 illustrates a magnified view of a portion of the fixture 100, andFIG. 5 illustrates a back view of the fixture 100.

The fixture 100 includes a hollow elongate section 102 having a firstend 104 and a second end 106, and the first end 104 has an opening 108for receiving a lens portion of an imaging device (shown in FIGS. 12-15)and the second end 106 is structurally configured to brace against asurface of an object being imaged. The hollow elongate section 102 isconfigured to hold the lens portion of the imaging device at a fixeddistance from an object being imaged as well as to control an amount ofincident light on the lens portion of the imaging device.

The fixture 100 may be comprised of any suitable material, such as arubber or plastic material, and can be manufactured using additivemanufacturing processes, for example.

The hollow elongate section 102 is shown as a cylindrical portion and aninternal area of the hollow elongate section 102 is open. The opening108 for receiving the lens portion of the imaging device is disposed atthe first end 104. The second end 106 is structurally configured tobrace against a surface of an object being imaged, such as by having anend surface that is flat.

The fixture 100 also includes an extension section 110 connected to thesecond end 106 of the hollow elongate section 102, and the extensionsection 110 is configured to brace the hollow elongate section 102 alongan edge of the object being imaged and to maintain the hollow elongatesection 102 level with respect to the edge of the object being imaged.To do so, for example, the extension section 108 has a flat surface 112for seating on the edge of the object being imaged. For example, theextension section 110 of the fixture 100 has a flat distal portion forabutting an edge of the object to be imaged.

Additionally, the extension section 110 is connected to the second end106 of the hollow elongate section 102 at a seat 113, as shown in FIG.3, and the seat 113 contacts the surface of the object being imaged.

The extension section 110 may include a half-circular portion of thecylindrical portion of the hollow elongate section 102. Thus, half ofthe cylinder of a cylindrically-shaped extension section can beconsidered to have been cut-out, and what remains is the extensionsection 110. Within examples, the hollow elongate section 102 and theextension section 110 are one integral component. In other examples, thehollow elongate section 102 and the extension section 110 may beseparate components coupled together.

The extension section 110 includes an internal structure 114 arrangedlengthwise along the extension section 110, such as for holding acalibration object (not shown in FIGS. 7-11) adjacent to the second end106 of the hollow elongate section 102, and thus in view of a lensportion of an imaging device positioned at opening 108. The internalstructure 114 and the extension section 110 are shown as one integralcomponent in the illustrated embodiment, and the extension section 110is hollowed out in areas to create the internal structure 114.

Fixture 100 can thus be used with a variety of configurations ofcalibration objects. FIG. 6A illustrates an example of a base 116including two calibration objects 118 and 120. FIGS. 6B-6C illustrateadditional examples of the base 116 with a different configuration ofcalibration objects. FIGS. 7-11 illustrate the base 116 installed withinthe fixture 100. Namely, FIG. 7 illustrates a bottom view of the fixture100 with the base 116, FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of thefixture 100 with the base 116, FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of thefixture 100 with the base 116, FIG. 10 illustrates a magnified view of aportion of the fixture 100 with the base 116, and FIG. 11 illustrates aback view of the fixture 100 with the base 116.

In FIGS. 7-11, the base 116 is coupled to an end 122 of the internalstructure 114, and the calibration objects 118 and 120 are positioned onthe base 116. For example, the base 116 is coupled to an undersidesurface of the extension section 110 such that the calibration objects118 and 120 are positioned at substantially the same distance from thelens portion of the imaging device as a surface of the object beingimaged (shown in FIGS. 13-15). As described more fully below, thecalibration objects 118 and 120 each have a known diameter and arespaced apart by a known distance, such that when the calibration objects118 and 120 are placed in the field of view of an imaging device, thecalibration objects 118 and 120 can be used as a basis to determine ascale of the image during image processing. A distance parameter can becalculated, which is self-checked against the known diameters of thecalibration objects 118 and 120, for example.

In one example, the fixture 100 with the base 116 is considered a system101, as shown in FIG. 7. The system 101 includes two objects (e.g.,calibration objects 118 and 120) each having a known dimension andpositioned on the base 116 spaced apart by a known distance. The fixture100 has the opening 108 for receiving a lens portion of an imagingdevice and for holding the two objects in a field of view of the imagingdevice such that the field of view of the imaging device originates froma point normal to a surface of the base 116, and the fixture 100 holdsthe imaging device at a fixed distance from an object being imaged aswell as controls an amount of incident light on the imaging device. Moredetails are described below with respect to FIGS. 12-15.

Referring back to FIG. 6A, in one example, the two calibration objects118 and 120 each comprise a disc-shape, and the two calibration objectshave different dimensions. The extension section 110 is connected to thesecond end 106 of the hollow elongate section 102, and includes theinternal structure 114 arranged lengthwise along the extension section110 for holding the two calibration objects 118 and 120 adjacent to thesecond end 106 of the hollow elongate section 102.

The two calibration objects 118 and 120 can each include a circularcross-section and the known dimensions of the two calibration objects118 and 120 is a diameter of the circular cross-section. In someexamples, at least one of the two calibration objects 118 and 120includes a sphere-shaped object. Further, such as to assist a viewer oran image-processing program in discerning the edge of the calibrationobject, at least one of the two calibration objects 118 and 120 includesa substantially solid color. Thus, the two calibration objects 118 and120 can include spherical objects of a substantially solid color.

Referring to FIG. 6B, the base 116 can, in some embodiments, furtherinclude a third object 119 positioned on the base 116 such that the twoobjects 118 and 120 and the third object 119 form a triangle, anddistances between vertices of the triangle are known distances. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 6C, the two objects 118 and 120 have knowndiameters of d₁ and d₂, respectively, and are separated by a knowndistance d₃. The third object 119 has a known diameter d₄ and isseparated from the object 118 by a known distance d₅. A distance betweenobject 119 and object 120 is also known as well (e.g., √{square rootover ((d₅ ²+d₃ ²))}). These distances and diameters can be used todetermine an image scaling factor during image processing, as describedbelow.

Referring now to FIG. 12, an example of a system 130 is illustrated,according to an example implementation. The system 130 includes animaging device 132, the calibration object 118, and the fixture 100having the opening 108 for receiving a lens portion 134 of the imagingdevice 132 and for holding the calibration object 118 in a field of viewof the imaging device 132. The fixture 100 holds the imaging device 132at a fixed distance from an object being imaged as well as controls anamount of incident light on the imaging device 132.

As shown in FIG. 12, the lens portion 134 of the imaging device 132 canbe snap fit into the opening 108 and an opposite end includes a cord. Inone example, the imaging device 132 connects to a computing device viathe cord (shown in FIG. 13).

In one example, the imaging device 132 includes an ultravioletmicroscope. The fixture 100 holds the imaging device 132 (such as a UVmicroscope) at a fixed distance from a cut edge of a composite piece andcontrols the incident light on the imaging device 132 so that theimaging device 132 can produce digital images that may be more easilyprocessed by known measurement algorithms, such as algorithms describedin U.S. Pat. No. 9,595,092. The fixture 100 also holds the calibrationobject 118 in the field of view of the imaging device 132 to enableautomated calculation of image scale (e.g., photogrammetry target dot).Although only one calibration object is described in this example, morethan one calibration object may be used in other examples.

As with the examples shown in earlier figures, in FIG. 12, the fixture100 is shown to have a flat distal portion (e.g., flat surface 112) forabutting an edge of the object being imaged.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of the system 130 being used to captureimages of an object 136, according to an example implementation. In thisexample, the fixture 100 is placed against the object to capture animage of a cross-section 138 of the object 136. The underside of theextension section 110 sits on top of a surface of the object 136, andthe seat 113 (shown in FIG. 3) abuts a surface of the cross-section 138of the object 136. The fixture 100 thus holds the imaging device 132 ata constant distance from the object 136 at all times during imaging.

In operation, the imaging device 132 is used to image the cross-section138 of the object 136 along a full length of the object 136. Thus, anoperator will manually move the imaging device 132 lengthwise along theobject 136 and the fixture 100 maintains the distance between thesurface of the cross-section 138 of the object 136 and the imagingdevice 132 at a constant distance during imaging of the cross-section138. The images are then processed to calculate measurements ofcomponents used in manufacturing the object 136.

In one example, to facilitate processing of the images, as shown in FIG.13, the system 130 also includes a computing device 140 coupled to theimaging device 132 and having one or more processors 142 andnon-transitory computer readable medium (e.g., data storage 144) storinginstructions 146, that when executed by the one or more processors 142,causes the computing device 140 to perform functions. The functionsinclude receiving an image from the imaging device 132 capturing across-section of a composite component with the calibration object 118in the image, calculating an image scaling factor using known dimensionsof the calibration object 118, and determining a physical measurement ofa wrinkle in the composite component using the image scaling factor.More details of the image processing are described below with referenceto FIGS. 18-21.

The computing device 140 is shown as a stand-alone component in FIG. 13.In some other examples, the computing device 140 may be included withinthe imaging device 132 as well.

To perform image processing functions, the computing device 140 includesthe processors 142, the data storage 144, a communication interface 148,an output interface 150, a display/graphical user interface (GUI) 152,and each component of the computing device 140 is connected to acommunication bus 154. The computing device 140 may also includehardware to enable communication within the computing device 140 andbetween the computing device 140 and other devices (not shown). Thehardware may include transmitters, receivers, and antennas, for example.

The communication interface 148 may be a wireless interface and/or oneor more wireline interfaces that allow for both short-rangecommunication and long-range communication to one or more networks or toone or more remote devices. Such wireless interfaces may provide forcommunication under one or more wireless communication protocols,Bluetooth, WiFi (e.g., an institute of electrical and electronicengineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocol), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), cellularcommunications, near-field communication (NFC), and/or other wirelesscommunication protocols. Such wireline interfaces may include anEthernet interface, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, or similarinterface to communicate via a wire, a twisted pair of wires, a coaxialcable, an optical link, a fiber-optic link, or other physical connectionto a wireline network. Thus, the communication interface 190 may beconfigured to receive input data from one or more devices, and may alsobe configured to send output data to other devices.

The data storage 144 may include or take the form of memory, such as oneor more computer-readable storage media that can be read or accessed bythe one or more processor(s) 142. The computer-readable storage mediacan include volatile and/or non-volatile storage components, such asoptical, magnetic, organic or other memory or disc storage, which can beintegrated in whole or in part with the one or more processor(s) 142.The data storage 144 is considered non-transitory data storage ornon-transitory computer readable media. In some examples, the datastorage 144 can be implemented using a single physical device (e.g., oneoptical, magnetic, organic or other memory or disc storage unit), whilein other examples, the non-transitory data storage 144 can beimplemented using two or more physical devices.

The data storage 144 thus is a computer readable medium, andinstructions 146 are stored thereon. The instructions 146 includecomputer executable code.

The one or more processor(s) 142 may be general-purpose processors orspecial purpose processors (e.g., digital signal processors, applicationspecific integrated circuits, etc.). The one or more processor(s) 142may receive inputs from the communication interface 148 as well as fromother sensors, and process the inputs to generate outputs that arestored in the data storage 144. The one or more processor(s) 142 can beconfigured to execute the instructions 146 (e.g., computer-readableprogram instructions) that are stored in the data storage 144 and areexecutable to provide the functionality of the computing device 140described herein.

The output interface 150 outputs information for reporting or storage,and thus, the output interface 150 may be similar to the communicationinterface 148 and can be a wireless interface (e.g., transmitter) or awired interface as well.

The display 152 may include a touchscreen or other display configured toprovide a GUI. In some examples, the processor 142 can execute theinstructions 146 to perform functions including receiving live videofrom the imaging device 132, and displaying the live video on the GUI.Following, the functions can also include enabling capture of an imagewithin the live video, and then causing a wrinkle measurement to beperformed on the image. The wrinkle measurement can be made of across-section of the object that was imaged, for example.

FIG. 14 illustrates side view of the system 130 being used to captureimages of the object 136, according to an example implementation. FIG.15 illustrates a top view of the system 130 being used to capture imagesof the object 136, according to an example implementation.

FIG. 16 shows a flowchart of an example of a method 200 of configuringthe imaging device 132 for capturing images of the object 136, accordingto an example implementation. Method 200 shown in FIG. 16 presents anexample of a method that could be used with the system 130, for example.With all methods described herein, devices or systems may be used orconfigured to perform logical functions presented in the methods. Insome instances, components of the devices and/or systems may beconfigured to perform the functions such that the components areactually configured and structured (with hardware and/or software) toenable such performance. In other examples, components of the devicesand/or systems may be arranged to be adapted to, capable of, or suitedfor performing the functions, such as when operated in a specificmanner. Method 200 may include one or more operations, functions, oractions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 202-206. Although theblocks are illustrated in a sequential order, these blocks may also beperformed in parallel, and/or in a different order than those describedherein. Also, the various blocks may be combined into fewer blocks,divided into additional blocks, and/or removed based upon the desiredimplementation.

It should be understood that for this and other processes and methodsdisclosed herein, flowcharts show functionality and operation of onepossible implementation of present examples. Alternative implementationsare included within the scope of the examples of the present disclosurein which functions may be executed out of order from that shown ordiscussed, including substantially concurrent or in reverse order,depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by thosereasonably skilled in the art.

Description of the method 200 is provided below with reference to FIGS.12-16.

Initially, as shown at block 202, the method 200 includes holding, viathe fixture 100, the lens portion 134 of the imaging device 132 at afixed distance from the object 136 being imaged. As described above, theseat 113 of the hollow elongate section 102 will contact a surface ofthe cross-section 138 of the object 136 being imaged. The extensionsection 110 also contacts a top surface of the object 136 being imaged.Thus, the fixture 100 holds the imaging device 132 at the fixed distancefrom the object 136.

As shown at block 204, the method 200 includes controlling an amount ofincident light on the lens portion 134 of the imaging device 132 by useof the fixture 100. For example, since the lens portion 134 is insertedinto the opening 108 and into an interior of the hollow elongate section102, the lens portion 134 will be shielded from light coming from adirection of the opening 108 because there is no clearance for light toenter through the opening 108 once the lens portion 134 is inserted.Therefore, the only light that may be incident on the lens portion 134is via an opening at the second end 106 or at the seat 113, for example.However, due to the configuration of the seat 113 as well as to theconfiguration of the extension section 110, a minimal amount of lightmay be incident upon the lens portion 134. Furthermore, once the seat113 contacts the surface of the cross-section 138 of the object 136being imaged, less light will be incident upon the lens portion 134. InFIG. 14, an area 156 is shown by which light may be incident on the lensportion 134, for example.

As shown at block 206, the method 200 includes holding, via the fixture100, the calibration object 118 in a field of view of the imaging device132. Block 206 can include positioning the base 116 to an undersidesurface of the fixture 100, and positioning the calibration object 118on the base 116. In FIG. 14, the base 116 and the calibration object 118are conceptually shown with dotted lines to provide a perspective of alocation of the components internal to the extension section 110 and thehollow elongate section 102.

In one example, block 206 further includes positioning the calibrationobject 118 at substantially the same distance from the lens portion 134of the imaging device 132 as a surface of the object 136 being imaged.Thus, the distance to the calibration object 118 and the lens portion134 and the distance to the surface of the cross-section 138 and thelens portion 134 is substantially the same.

In a further example, the object 136 being imaged comprises a compositecomponent, and the method 200 further includes receiving an image fromthe imaging device 132 capturing a cross-section of the compositecomponent with the calibration object 118 in the image, calculating animage scaling factor using known dimensions of the calibration object118, and determining a physical measurement of a wrinkle in thecomposite component using the image scaling factor. More details ofthese functions are described below with reference to FIGS. 18-21.

FIG. 17 shows a flowchart of an example of another method 210 ofconfiguring the imaging device 132 for capturing images of the object136, according to an example implementation. Method 210 shown in FIG. 17presents an example of a method that could be used with the system 130,for example. Method 210 may include one or more operations, functions,or actions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 212-216. Although theblocks are illustrated in a sequential order, these blocks may also beperformed in parallel, and/or in a different order than those describedherein. Also, the various blocks may be combined into fewer blocks,divided into additional blocks, and/or removed based upon the desiredimplementation.

As shown at block 212, the method 210 includes holding the imagingdevice 132 at a fixed distance, by the fixture 100, from the object 136being imaged.

As shown at block 214, the method 210 includes holding two objects 118and 120 in a field of view of the imaging device 132, and the twoobjects 118 and 120 each have a known dimension and are positioned to bespaced apart by a known distance. For example, the fixture 100 has theopening 108 for receiving a lens portion of the imaging device 132 andfor holding the two objects 118 and 120 in a field of view of theimaging device 132. In addition, the fixture 100 includes the extensionsection 110 connected to the second end 106 of the hollow elongatesection 102, and the block 214 can include holding the two objects 118and 120 on the base 116 coupled to the extension section 110 andpositioned at substantially the same distance from the lens portion 134of the imaging device 132 as a surface of the object 136 being imaged.

As shown at block 216, the method 210 includes positioning the twoobjects 118 and 120 in the field of view of the imaging device 132 suchthat the field of view of the imaging device 132 originates from a pointnormal to a line formed by the known distance between the two objects118 and 120.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example of a system 160 including a configurationof the imaging device 132 with respect to the two objects 118 and 120,according to an example implementation. As mentioned at block 216 of themethod 210, the fixture 100 (not shown in FIG. 18) holds the two objects118 and 120 in a field of view 161 of the imaging device 132 such thatthe field of view 161 of the imaging device 132 originates from a point162 normal to a line 164 formed by the known distance between the twoobjects 118 and 120. The point 162 is also normal to a surface 166 ofthe base 116. In one example, the point 162 normal to the surface 166 ofthe base 116 is also equidistant from a center of both of the twoobjects 118 and 120.

Referring back to the method 210 in FIG. 17, in further examples, themethod 210 includes controlling an amount of incident light on the lensportion 134 of the imaging device 132 by use of the fixture 100, andholding a lens portion 134 of the imaging device 132 in an openingdisposed at the first end of the fixture 100.

Within examples, when imaging the object 136, the method 210 mayadditionally include positioning a flat distal portion of the fixture100 abutting an edge of the object 136 to be imaged, and the fixeddistance is based on a length of the flat distal portion. Imaging theobject can further include bracing against a surface of the object 136being imaged via the second end of the fixture contacting the surface ofthe object 136 being imaged.

In further examples, the method 210 can also include holding a thirdobject 119 in the field of view 161 of the imaging device 132, and thetwo objects 118 and 120 and the third object 119 are positioned suchthat the two objects 118 and 120 and the third object 119 form atriangle and distances between vertices of the triangle are knowndistances.

Turning again to FIG. 18, the system 160 illustrates the base 116, thetwo objects 118 and 120 each having a known dimension and positioned onthe base 116 spaced apart by a known distance, the imaging device 132positioned such that the two objects 118 and 120 are in the field ofview 161 of the imaging device 132 and such that the field of view 161of the imaging device 132 originates from the point 162 normal to thesurface 166 of the base 116, and the computing device 140 coupled to theimaging device 132. The computing device 140 has one or more processors142 and non-transitory computer readable medium (e.g., data storage 144)storing instructions 146, that when executed by the one or moreprocessors 142, causes the computing device 140 to perform functions ofreceiving an image from the imaging device 132 capturing the two objects118 and 120 in the field of view 161, and based on one or more of theknown dimension of the two objects 118 and 120 and the known distancebetween the two objects 118 and 120, determining an image scaling factorthat associates a number of pixels in the image to a physical distance.

FIG. 19 shows a flowchart of an example of a method 220 of determiningimage scaling, according to an example implementation. Method 220 shownin FIG. 19 presents an example of a method that could be used with thesystem 130 shown in FIG. 13 or with the system 160 shown in FIG. 18, forexample. Method 220 may include one or more operations, functions, oractions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 222-224. Although theblocks are illustrated in a sequential order, these blocks may also beperformed in parallel, and/or in a different order than those describedherein. Also, the various blocks may be combined into fewer blocks,divided into additional blocks, and/or removed based upon the desiredimplementation.

It should be understood that for this and other processes and methodsdisclosed herein, flowcharts show functionality and operation of onepossible implementation of present examples. In this regard, each blockor portions of each block may represent a module, a segment, or aportion of program code, which includes one or more instructionsexecutable by a processor for implementing specific logical functions orsteps in the process. The program code may be stored on any type ofcomputer readable medium or data storage, for example, such as a storagedevice including a disk or hard drive. Further, the program code can beencoded on a computer-readable storage media in a machine-readableformat, or on other non-transitory media or articles of manufacture. Thecomputer readable medium may include non-transitory computer readablemedium or memory, for example, such as computer-readable media thatstores data for short periods of time like register memory, processorcache and Random Access Memory (RAM). The computer readable medium mayalso include non-transitory media, such as secondary or persistent longterm storage, like read only memory (ROM), optical or magnetic disks,compact-disc read only memory (CD-ROM), for example. The computerreadable media may also be any other volatile or non-volatile storagesystems. The computer readable medium may be considered a tangiblecomputer readable storage medium, for example.

In addition, each block or portions of each block in FIG. 19, and withinother processes and methods disclosed herein, may represent circuitrythat is wired to perform the specific logical functions in the process.Alternative implementations are included within the scope of theexamples of the present disclosure in which functions may be executedout of order from that shown or discussed, including substantiallyconcurrent or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved,as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art.

At block 222, the method 220 includes capturing an image by the imagingdevice 132 that includes two objects 118 and 120 in a field of view 161of the imaging device 132, and the two objects 118 and 120 each have aknown dimension and are positioned on a base spaced apart by a knowndistance.

At block 224, the method 220 includes based on the known dimension ofthe two objects 118 and 120 and the known distance between the twoobjects 118 and 120, determining an image scaling factor that associatesa number of pixels in the image to a physical distance. In one example,block 224 includes determining the number of pixels between approximatecenter positions of the two objects 118 and 120 in the image, and thenassociating the number of pixels with the known distance. The physicaldistance between the two objects 118 and 120 may be a center to centerdistance and since this physical distance is known, e.g., 0.02 inch,then the number of pixels between center positions of the two objects118 and 120 in the image is associated with the known distance toprovide a measurement indicating a distance per pixel. Then, associatingthe number of pixels with the known distance includes dividing thenumber of pixels by the known distance to generate the image scalingfactor in a form of distance per pixel.

In some examples, the method 220 also includes thresholding the image todetermine a location of pixels along an edge of the two objects 118 and120, identifying an approximate center of the two objects 118 and 120using the location of pixels along the edge of the two objects, anddetermining an amount of pixels between the approximate center of thetwo objects 118 and 120 to be the number of pixels.

FIG. 20 illustrates an example of an image 170 captured by the imagingdevice 132 and includes post-processing, according to an exampleimplementation. In this example, the object 136 being imaged is acomposite component comprised of multiple layers of plies 172 stacked ontop of each other. The image 170 specifically is of a cross-section ofthe composite component, and used to measure dimensions of wrinklesalong a cut edge of the composite component. As an example, wrinkles ornon-straight plies, can occur in composite components, and there is aneed for measurement of wrinkles along cut edges of certain componentsof vehicles. The imaging device 132 can thus capture the image 170, andphysical distances or measurements of wrinkles can be determined usingthe image scaling factor that is determined.

With the acquired image, the two objects 118 and 120 are detected bythresholding the image and locating pixels along an edge of the twoobjects 118 and 120. Thresholding can be accomplished with the twoobjects being a robust color, such as red, to identify a change in pixelcolor for location of an outline of the objects 118 and 120. With thepixels on the edge of the two objects 118 and 120 identified, a radiusand center (in terms of pixels) of each of the two objects 118 and 120is calculated. A distance in pixels between the centers of the twoobjects 118 and 120 is calculated (e.g., shown by line 174 in FIG. 20)and is divided by the known physical distance between the two objects118 and 120. The result is spacing (e.g., inches/pixel) for each pixelin the image 170. Using the calculated spacing value, theradius/diameter of each of the two objects 118 and 120 identified viaimage processing can be compared to the known physical dimensions of thetwo objects 118 and 120 to serve as a check

Thus, in one example, returning to FIG. 19, the method 220 can alsoinclude performing a self-check of the image scaling factor using theknown dimension of at least one of the two objects 118 and 120. FIG. 20illustrates an example in which the imaging scaling factor is calculatedas 0.00068 inches/pixel (text is super-imposed on the image to providedetails). For the object 120, the known dimension is 0.1179 inches andthe image processed dimension is 0.1181 inches (using the imagingscaling factor). This results in a difference of 0.0002 inches, which isan acceptable tolerance. For the object 118, the known dimension is0.0787 inches and the image processed dimension is 0.0766 inches (usingthe imaging scaling factor). This results in a difference of 0.0021inches, which is an acceptable tolerance. Thus, the self-check iscomplete and the calculations have been verified.

Following, the wrinkle measurements can be performed. FIG. 20illustrates an example in which a length (L) of a first wrinkle, usingthe image scaling factor, is determined to be 0.439 inches at a depth(D) of 0.017 inches for L/D of 25.8. A length of a second wrinkle isdetermined to be 0.433 inches at a depth of 0.017 inches for L/D of25.5. Returning to FIG. 19, the method 220 may thus additionally includecapturing the image of a cross-section of a composite component, anddetermining a physical measurement of a wrinkle in the compositecomponent using the image scaling factor. This additional function caninclude finding the multiple layers of plies 172 first so as to generatethe lines between wrinkles, for example.

In another example, the method 220 may additionally include for at leastone of the two objects 118 and 120, determining a second number ofpixels along a length of a dimension of the at least one of the twoobjects 118 and 120, using the image scaling factor to convert thesecond number of pixels into a distance, and based on comparing thedistance with the known distance of the at least one of the two objects,outputting an error result. In this example, a diameter of one of theobjects 118 and 120 can be used for a further comparison, and when theknown diameter varies from the image processed calculated diameter(e.g., using the image scaling factor and pixel measurement), an errorresult is output. The error may be the result of poor lighting or cameramovement, and can indicate to capture a new image.

In another example, the two objects 118 and 120 can have differentdimensions, and the method 220 may include performing a self-check ofthe image scaling factor using the known dimension of both of the twoobjects 118 and 120 to provide two additional measurements forcalibration. Thus, calculations of the image processed diameters of eachof the two objects 118 and 120 (e.g., using the image scaling factor andpixel measurements) can be performed and compared to the known diametervalues for further self-check processes because once the pixel spacingis found from the center to center distance, the image scaling factorcan be used to compare any dimension as measured from the image to theknown dimension. Thus, two different diameters of the two objects 118and 120 provides two additional measurements for calibration.

In an example where three objects are used, as shown in FIG. 6B, imagescaling can be provided along two different dimensions in the image.Thus, the method 220 may additionally include determining the imagescaling factor along a first direction (such as shown in FIG. 20 ashorizontal), based on the respective known distance between one of thetwo objects 118 and 120 and the third object 119, determining a secondimage scaling factor along a second direction that associates a secondnumber of pixels in the image to a second physical distance. The seconddirection may be vertical, such as between the objects 118 and 119, asshown in FIG. 6C.

FIG. 21 shows a flowchart of an example of a method 230 of determiningphysical measurements of wrinkles in a composite component, according toan example implementation. Method 230 shown in FIG. 21 presents anexample of a method that could be used with the system 130 shown in FIG.13 or with the system 160 shown in FIG. 18, for example. Method 230 mayinclude one or more operations, functions, or actions as illustrated byone or more of blocks 232-240. Although the blocks are illustrated in asequential order, these blocks may also be performed in parallel, and/orin a different order than those described herein. Also, the variousblocks may be combined into fewer blocks, divided into additionalblocks, and/or removed based upon the desired implementation.

At block 232, the method 230 includes positioning a lens portion 134 ofan imaging device 132 into a first end 104 of a fixture 100, and thefixture 100 controls an amount of incident light on the imaging device132 and holds a calibration object in a field of view 161 of the imagingdevice 132. At block 234, the method 230 includes placing the imagingdevice 132 at a fixed distance from a cross-section of a compositecomponent being imaged, and the fixture 100 includes a flat distalportion for abutting an edge of the object to be imaged and the fixeddistance is based on a length of the flat distal portion. At block 236,the method 230 includes causing the imaging device to capture an imageof the cross-section of the composite component with the calibrationobject in the image. The computing device 140 may be programmed totrigger image capture of the image, for example. At block 238, themethod 230 includes determining an image scaling factor that associatesa number of pixels in the image to a physical distance based on a knowndimension of the calibration object. At block 240, the method 230includes determining physical measurements of wrinkles in the compositecomponent using the image scaling factor.

In one example, the calibration object 118 is a first object and ispositioned on a base 116 coupled to the fixture, and the method 230further includes positioning a second object 120 on the base 116, andthe first object 118 and the second object 120 are positioned on thebase 116 spaced apart by a known distance, and causing the image deviceto capture the image with the first object 118 and the second object 120in the field of view 161. The method 230 may further include determiningthe number of pixels between approximate center positions of the firstobject 118 and the second object 120, and associating the number ofpixels with the known distance.

In some examples, the method 230 includes performing a self-check of theimage scaling factor using the known dimension the first object 118.

In some additional examples, the method 230 includes positioning a thirdobject 119 on the base 116 such that the first object 118, the secondobject 120, and the third object 119 form a triangle, and distancesbetween vertices of the triangle are known distances. The method 230 maythen include causing the image device to capture the image with thefirst object 118, the second object 120, and the third object 119 in thefield of view 161 and the image scaling factor is determined along afirst direction. The method 230 may then include based on the respectiveknown distance between one of the first and second objects 118 and 120and the third object 119, determining a second image scaling factoralong a second direction that associates a second number of pixels inthe image to a second physical distance.

By the term “substantially” and “about” used herein, it is meant thatthe recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achievedexactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example,tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations andother factors known to skill in the art, may occur in amounts that donot preclude the effect the characteristic was intended to provide.

Different examples of the system(s), device(s), and method(s) disclosedherein include a variety of components, features, and functionalities.It should be understood that the various examples of the system(s),device(s), and method(s) disclosed herein may include any of thecomponents, features, and functionalities of any of the other examplesof the system(s), device(s), and method(s) disclosed herein in anycombination or any sub-combination, and all of such possibilities areintended to be within the scope of the disclosure.

The description of the different advantageous arrangements has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description, and is notintended to be exhaustive or limited to the examples in the formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art. Further, different advantageous examplesmay describe different advantages as compared to other advantageousexamples. The example or examples selected are chosen and described inorder to best explain the principles of the examples, the practicalapplication, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand the disclosure for various examples with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: two objects, comprising afirst object and a second object, each having a known dimension andpositioned on a base spaced apart by a known distance; and a fixturehaving an opening for receiving a lens portion of an imaging device andfor holding the two objects in a field of view of the imaging devicesuch that the field of view of the imaging device originates from apoint normal to a surface of the base, wherein the fixture holds theimaging device at a fixed distance from a component being imaged as wellas controls an amount of incident light on the imaging device, whereinthe fixture comprises: a hollow elongate section having a first end anda second end, wherein the opening for receiving the lens portion of theimaging device is disposed at the first end and the second end isstructurally configured to brace against a surface of the componentbeing imaged; an extension section connected to the second end of thehollow elongate section, the extension section including an internalstructure arranged lengthwise along the extension section for holdingthe two objects adjacent to the second end of the hollow elongatesection, wherein the extension section has a flat distal portionextending lengthwise for abutting an edge of the component to be imaged.2. The system of claim 1, wherein the two objects each comprise adisc-shape.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the twoobjects comprises a spherical-shape.
 4. The system of claim 1, whereinthe two objects have different dimensions.
 5. The system of claim 1,further comprising: a third object positioned on the base such that thetwo objects and the third object form a triangle, and distances betweenvertices of the triangle are known distances.
 6. The system of claim 5,further comprising: a computing device having one or more processors andnon-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, that whenexecuted by the one or more processors, causes the computing device toperform functions of: receiving an image capturing the two objects andthe third object in the field of view; determining an image scalingalong a first direction, wherein the image scaling factor associates anumber of pixels in the image to a physical distance; and based on therespective known distance between one of the two objects and the thirdobject, determining a second image scaling factor along a seconddirection that associates a second number of pixels in the image to asecond physical distance.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:a computing device having one or more processors and non-transitorycomputer readable medium storing instructions, that when executed by theone or more processors, causes the computing device to perform functionsof: receiving an image from the imaging device capturing the two objectsin the field of view; and based on one or more of the known dimension ofthe two objects and the known distance between the two objects,determining an image scaling factor that associates a number of pixelsin the image to a physical distance.
 8. The system of claim 7, whereindetermining the image scaling factor that associates the number ofpixels to the physical distance comprises: determining the number ofpixels between approximate center positions of the two objects; andassociating the number of pixels with the known distance.
 9. The systemof claim 7, wherein the two objects have different dimensions, andwherein the functions further comprise: performing a self-check of theimage scaling factor using the known dimensions of both of the twoobjects to provide two additional measurements for calibration.
 10. Amethod of configuring an imaging device for capturing images of anobject, comprising: holding an imaging device at a fixed distance, by afixture, from a component being imaged, wherein the fixture has a hollowelongate section having a first end and a second end, and an extensionsection connected to the second end of the hollow elongate section, andwherein a lens portion of the imaging device is positioned in an openingdisposed at the first end; holding two objects in a field of view of theimaging device, and the two objects each have a known dimension and arepositioned to be spaced apart by a known distance, wherein the twoobjects are positioned on a base coupled to the extension section andpositioned at substantially the same distance from the lens portion ofthe imaging device as a surface of the component being imaged;positioning a flat distal portion of the extension section extendinglengthwise abutting an edge of the component to be imaged, and the fixeddistance is based on a length of the flat distal portion; andpositioning the two objects in the field of view of the imaging devicesuch that the field of view of the imaging device originates from apoint normal to a line formed by the known distance between the twoobjects.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: controlling anamount of incident light on the lens portion of the imaging device byuse of the fixture.
 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:bracing against a surface of the component being imaged via the secondend contacting the surface of the component being imaged.
 13. The methodof claim 10, further comprising: holding a third object in the field ofview of the imaging device, and the two objects and the third object arepositioned such that the two objects and the third object form atriangle and distances between vertices of the triangle are knowndistances.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein holding the two objectsin the field of view of the imaging device comprises holding the twoobjects that each comprise a disc-shape.
 15. The method of claim 10,wherein holding the two objects in the field of view of the imagingdevice comprises holding at least one of the two objects that comprisesa spherical-shape.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein holding the twoobjects in the field of view of the imaging device comprises holding thetwo objects that each have different dimensions.
 17. A method ofdetermining physical measurements of wrinkles in a composite component,the method comprising: positioning a lens portion of an imaging deviceinto a first end of a fixture, wherein the fixture controls an amount ofincident light on the imaging device and holds a calibration object in afield of view of the imaging device; placing the imaging device at afixed distance from a cross-section of a composite component beingimaged, wherein the fixture includes a flat distal portion for abuttingan edge of the object to be imaged and the fixed distance is based on alength of the flat distal portion; causing the imaging device to capturean image of the cross-section of the composite component with thecalibration object in the image; determining an image scaling factorthat associates a number of pixels in the image to a physical distancebased on a known dimension of the calibration object; and determiningphysical measurements of wrinkles in the composite component using theimage scaling factor.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein thecalibration object is a first object and is positioned on a base coupledto the fixture, and the method further comprises: positioning a secondobject on the base, wherein the first object and the second object arepositioned on the base spaced apart by a known distance; wherein causingthe imaging device to capture the image of the cross-section of thecomposite component comprises causing the image device to capture theimage with the first object and the second object in the field of view;wherein determining the image scaling factor that associates the numberof pixels in the image to the physical distance comprises: determiningthe number of pixels between approximate center positions of the firstobject and the second object; and associating the number of pixels withthe known distance.
 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:performing a self-check of the image scaling factor using the knowndimension the first object.
 20. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising: positioning a third object on the base such that the firstobject, the second object, and the third object form a triangle, anddistances between vertices of the triangle are known distances; andwherein causing the imaging device to capture the image of thecross-section of the composite component comprises causing the imagedevice to capture the image with the first object, the second object,and the third object in the field of view; wherein determining the imagescaling factor comprises determining the image scaling along a firstdirection; and wherein the functions further comprise: based on therespective known distance between one of the first and second objectsand the third object, determining a second image scaling factor along asecond direction that associates a second number of pixels in the imageto a second physical distance.